Universal sensor adapter

ABSTRACT

A sensor assembly. The sensor assembly includes a transducer, a memory element to store a plurality of transducer signatures, and a processor to identify the transducer using the transducer signatures, to process the environmental characteristic using the identified transducer signatures and the adaptive algorithm, and to output the processed environmental characteristics.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a measuring apparatus, andparticularly, an electronic measuring device.

Measuring apparatus such as transducers are generally used to measurephysical and chemical phenomena. Once the phenomena has been measured,the phenomena is usually converted to a readable format for a user. Inthe example of transducers, different physical transducer electrodeswill be used to sense different environments. More particularly,different environments may have different physical and chemicalcompositions, and therefore, different transducers or sensing electrodesmay be required to perform a measurement. In other applications, thecaustic or acidic nature of the environment necessitates frequentreplacement of the transducers. In any case, replacing the transducersgenerally requires manual adjustment and calibration of the connectinghardware that performs the conversion and calibration.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Manual adjustment and calibration can be very difficult, especially inharsh environments. Thus, a sensing assembly that automaticallyrecognizes calibrated transducer parameters, sets up transducer specifichardware for a specific transducer from a plurality of transducers,configures to measure either currents or voltages, conditions theamplitude and frequency of excitation, and adjusts the amplitude andfrequency of the resulting electrical signal will be welcome by users ofsuch sensors.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a sensor assembly. Thesensor assembly includes a transducer that is configured to sense anenvironmental characteristic, a memory element that is coupled to thetransducer and configured to store a plurality of transducer signatures,and a processor coupled to the memory. The processor is also configuredto store an adaptive algorithm, to identify the transducer using thetransducer signatures, to process the environmental characteristic usingthe identified transducer signatures and the adaptive algorithm, and tooutput the processed environmental characteristics.

The present invention also provides a sensor assembly that includes asensing head and an adapting body. The sensing head has a transducerthat is configured to sense an environmental characteristic, and amemory element that is coupled to the transducer and configured to storea plurality of transducer signatures. The adapting body is coupled tothe sensing head to receive the transducer signatures and theenvironmental characteristic from the sensing head. The adapting bodyalso has a processor that is configured to store an adaptive algorithm,to identify the transducer using the transducer signatures, and toprocess the environmental characteristics using the identifiedtransducer signatures and the adaptive algorithm to generate an outputrepresentative of the environmental characteristic.

Furthermore, the present invention also provides a method of sensing anenvironmental characteristic with a transducer assembly. The transducerassembly has a transducer head that has a memory, and is coupled to atransducer body that includes a processor. The method includes the stepsof retrieving a plurality of transducer signatures from the memory, andprocessing the transducer signatures to identify the transducer at theprocessor. Thereafter, the method includes the steps of sensing anenvironmental characteristic using the transducer, and conditioning theenvironmental characteristic using the processor with an adaptivefirmware stored in the transducer body. The method then involvesoutputting the conditioned environmental characteristics.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent tothose skilled in the art upon review of the following detaileddescription, claims, and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 an illustration of a transducer assembly embodying the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a transducer head embodying the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a transducer body embodying the presentinvention; and

FIG. 4 shows a system flow diagram embodying the present invention.

Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it isto be understood that the invention is not limited in its application tothe details of construction and the arrangement of components set forthin the following description or illustrated in the following drawings.The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced orof being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood thatthe phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein ismeant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereofas well as additional items. Unless limited otherwise, the terms“connected,” “coupled,” and “mounted” and variations thereof herein areused broadly and encompass direct and indirect connections, couplings,and mountings. In addition, the terms “connected” and “coupled” andvariations thereof are not restricted to physical or mechanicalconnections or couplings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 illustrates of a sensor assembly, or a transducer assembly 100embodying the present invention. The transducer assembly 100 includes atransducer housing, a sensing head, or a transducer head 104, a bodyhousing, an adapting body, or a transducer body 108, a removablyconnectable sensor communication adapter 110, and a reporting device112. A family of transducer heads 104 can be interchangeably coupled tothe transducer body 108. To accommodate the interchangeability of thehead 104, the transducer head 104 will include a standard connector 118(shown in FIG. 2) that can be coupled to any transducer body 108.Therefore, the standard connector 118 will have generally standardizeddimensions and couplings.

The transducer head 104 is further detailed in a block diagram in FIG.2. The transducer head 104 generally includes an electrode module 120that houses at least one transducer specific electrode. Differenttransducer electrodes are used in the head 104 to measure or to sensedifferent environmental characteristics, i.e., physical characteristicsof ambient liquids and gases. For instance, when conductivity sensor isattached, the transducer body 108 will read the transducer calibrationvariables from the conductivity transducer head, and use the newtransducer calibration variables to convert the readings intoappropriate engineering unit such as microsiemens (μS/cm) instead of pH.Exemplary transducer types include pH, oxidation reduction potential(“ORP”), dissolved oxygen, ozone, chlorine, contacting conductivity forliquids, non-contacting conductivity for liquids, atmospheric gases,turbidity using environmental protection agency (“EPA”) approved opticaltechniques, suspended solids using optical techniques, spectroscopy,biosensors, and the like. Each of these transducer types is constructedwith measurement specific electrodes 120.

Each transducer head 104 also provides a preamplifier circuitry 124 anda plurality of electronic signatures that are stored in a memory module128. These electronic signatures help to identify the type ofmeasurement, and the types of transducers, for example. Exemplarysignatures include transducer identification, the specific calibrationparameters required for accuracy, factory assembly information neededfor unique identification of the transducer head 104, configurationinstructions, and transducer calibration scaling data. Furthermore, thetransducer head 104 is sealed from the environment, and generallyincludes a temperature transducer 129 to sense a temperature of thetransducer to accurately accommodate changes in the transducer due to achange of internal and external temperatures.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of the transducer body 108 embodying thepresent invention in FIG. 1. Similar to the transducer head 104, thetransducer body is sealed from the environment, and also includes a bodymemory module 140 that stores coefficients representing a plurality ofcalibration parameters. Once the transducer body 108 is coupled to thetransducer head 104 via the connector 118, the transducer body 108 willcommunicate with the transducer head 104 using a processing unit or aprocessor 144, and with the reporting device 112 via the sensorcommunication adapter 110. The transducer body 108 and the transducerhead 104 are constructed such that the assembly 100 can be completelysubmerged in a measurement environment. (Exemplary processors includeAduC834 Microprocessor from Analog Devices and Intel 8051C.) Thetransducer body 108 is so constructed that when a transducer head orreporting device is damaged, it can be replaced without rewiring andmanually reconfiguring the assembly 100.

When a new transducer head 104 is plugged in to the assembly 100, thetransducer body 108 reads a transducer ID, a set of configurationinstructions and a set of transducer calibration scaling data from thememory 128. The processor 144 then sets up the signal conditioningelectronics using a plurality of input/output (“I/O”) controlled analogswitches to meet excitation and sensing requirements of the transducer104. The signal is then converted from analog to digital and scaled intocalibrated engineering units using calibration parameters that werestored. For example, if a user pulls off a transducer head 104 from theassembly 100, the processor 144 will first recognize that the transducerhead 104 has been removed. As a result, no valid transduceridentification is initially available, and the reporting device 112 willreport or display error messages. Meanwhile, hardware settings relatingto the removed transducer head are kept at the processor 144 and thesignal conditioning electronics. Once a new transducer head 104 has beeninserted into the assembly 100, the processor 144 retrieves a transducerhead identification from the newly inserted head 104 within a shortperiod of time, for example, one second. Thereafter, the hardwaresetting of the signal conditioning electronics are reconfigured, and theassembly will begin reporting new measurements. For example, when a pHsensor head has been removed from the transducer body 108 for cleaning.The transducer body 108 will detect that the pH sensor has been removed,and stops reporting pH and temperature readings. Instead, the transducerbody 108 sends a message to report that no sensor is attached. If a newpH sensor is attached, the transducer body 108 will detect that a sensorhead has been attached. The transducer body 108 will also detect aplurality of transducer calibration variables, and update a plurality ofengineering unit conversion factors needed to provide accurate pH andtemperature readings. However, if a different type of transducer isattached, the transducer body 108 will reconfigure the analog signalconditioning electronics, e.g. 148, 152, and 156 to convert the attachedsensor type into calibrated engineering units.

Particularly, the transducer body 108 includes a plurality of adaptiveelectronics or circuitry. For example, the transducer body 108 includesadaptive excitation circuitry 148, an adaptive signal conditioningmodule 152, and a temperature signal conditioner 156. Being configuredto read different communication protocols, the processor 144 repeatedlydetects or retrieves a transducer identity and a plurality ofcorresponding calibration coefficients of the transducer head 104connected to the transducer body 108. Once the transducer identity andthe corresponding calibration coefficients have been detected, theprocessor 144 adjusts some switches that are coupled to the adaptiveexcitation circuitry 148, the adaptive signal conditioning module 152,and the temperature signal conditioner 156. Specifically, the switchesare adjusted to optimize and to reconfigure the adaptive electronics orcircuitry to read the sensed signal sent from the transducer head 104.Furthermore, the transducer head 104 can also measure temperaturethrough a temperature sensing element such as a PT 1000.

Furthermore, the processor 144 is configured to adjust switchesconnected to the adaptive excitation circuitry 148. The adaptiveexcitation circuitry 148 then provides signals for transducer excitationas a combination of different voltages and currents excited at differentfrequencies, for example, from 0 to 2 volts and from 0 to 100 mA at afrequency between DC and 6000 Hz, at a resolution of 1 μV or 1 pA. Theprocessor 144 meanwhile adjusts the adaptive signal conditioning module152 such that the adaptive signal conditioning module 152 generates aset of adaptive signal conditioning coefficients to be processedtogether with the excited signals from the transducer head 104.Similarly, the temperature signal conditioner 156 is adjusted to providea set of temperature signal conditioning coefficients. These analogsignals are thereafter converted to a digital format using a pair ofsigma-delta analog-to-digital converters 160.

Based on the read identification and calibration coefficients, theprocessor 144 also chooses a corresponding calibrating or conversionalgorithm to process the signals, and to provide an appropriate set ofcalibrated engineering units to the signals sensed by the transducerhead 104. The processor 144 will also output or report the calibratedsignals and units through the sensor communication adapter 110 to theremovably connected reporting device 112. The processor 144 is alsospecifically configured to report the signals on a real-time basis. Forexample, a real-time calendar clock can be implemented to time stamp theoutput signals. If the sensor assembly 100 is battery powered, thecalibrated signals can be reported at a user-definable reporting rate.For example, the sensor assembly 100 can be configured to report thecalibrated signals at a reporting rate of 2 Hz (twice per second),0.0167 Hz (once per minute), or 0.0033 Hz (once per five minutes). Inthe limited power case, a wake-up timer can be used to wake theprocessor 144 for continuous sensing at a specific rate.

Similar to the transducer head 104, the removably connectablecommunication adapter 110 is also configured to be modular orinterchangeably couplable, and sealed from the ambient environment.Specifically, the invention provides a variety of removably connectablecommunication adapters 110 that can be coupled to the transducer body108 to communicate with different reporting devices 112. Since theprocessor 144 outputs the calibrated signals in digital format, thereporting device 112 generally reports the calibrated signals in digitalformat. However, if it is desired that the reporting device 112 reportsin analog format, a digital-to-analog converter can be used to convertthe digital signals and an analog reporting element of the reportingdevice can be used to report an analog format of the calibrated signals.Similar to replacing the transducer head 104 as described earlier, thereporting device 112 can be attached to and removed from the transducerbody 108. The transducer body 108 will similarly detect if a reportingdevice 112 has been attached or removed, and will make similaradaptation processes as in the case of the transducer head replacementscenario.

Generally, the communication protocol used by the reporting device 112is automatically detected once coupled to the transducer body 108 viathe sensor communication adapter 110. Particularly, the sensorcommunication adapter 110 can be coupled to a variety of reportingdevices 112 such as a PC via a USB port or an RS-232 serial port, anindustrial PLC, a telemetry system, a battery-backed data loggingsystem, a local data display and keypad, a personal digital assistant(“PDA”) such as a Palm Pilot® brand PDA or a multi-sensor adaptermodule. The reporting device 112 is configured to use communicationprotocols such as TCP/IP, MODBUS, PC—ASCII, and the like. The reportingdevices 112 are some times used as recording devices. In this way,recording devices such as a personal computer, an industrial PLC, a datalogging system, and the like, can also be coupled or hardwired to thetransducer body 108 via the sensor communication adapter 110 to reportand record continuously.

The assembly 100 continually verifies the identification of thetransducer head 104 and applies the appropriate signal conditioningcontrols to obtain calibrated engineering units measurements. Theassembly 100 also allows the transducer head 104 to be changed at anytime, and the processor is configured to adapt to any changes quickly.By continually checking the status of the transducer head 104, theassembly 100 can automatically adjust to changes within a measurementcycle.

FIG. 4 shows a system operational flow diagram 166 illustrating theoperations of the assembly 100. At step 170, the assembly 100 verifies atransducer status. For example, assembly 100 will verify if a transducerhead is attached. If a transducer head 104 has not been attached, or hasbeen removed, the assembly 100 will report no sensor connected asdescribed earlier. Based on the last measurement, the assembly 100 willperform an auto-ranging process in which the gain of various signalssensed is adjusted. Particularly, if the measurement from the lastreading is within a low measurement threshold, the gain will beadjusted, or increased in the example.

At step 170, the assembly 100 will also determine if a host computer hastaken the assembly 100 “off-line,” and entered the assembly 100 into aconfiguration mode. Once the assembly has entered the configurationmode, parameters of the assembly 100 can be tested or altered throughsample calibration, unit changes, filter changes and the like. In theconfiguration mode, normal transducer readings are suspended, and theassembly 100 waits for instructions. The assembly 100 can also beconfigured with a number of computer communications devices such as astandard personal computer, a personal digital assistant (“PDA”) such asa Palm Pilot® brand PDA, a programmable logic controller, or acustomized embedded controller specifically designed to display andrecord data from the assembly 100.

Particularly, a host computer is any device that can communicate withthe assembly 100 using one of several digital communications protocolssuch as PROFIBUS, MODBUS, and DEVICENET. Furthermore, the host computercan be configured to display and record measurement data from thetransducer. When the host computer is used to configure, calibrate ordiagnose faults, the assembly 100 is taken off line, and responds to avariety of requests. The requests to which the assembly 100 isconfigured to respond include adjust data filter settings, calibratetemperature, calibrate transducer parameters (such as pH, ORP, DO,conductivity, turbidity, ozone), change units of measure, or loading newsoftware into the transducer body 108 (for example, upgrades and such).

Referring back to FIG. 4, the assembly 100 will also verify at step 170the type of recording device 112. For example, if the assembly 100 isbattery powered the assembly 100 will take samples at a slower rate andshut down when not taking readings to conserve battery power. Once thestatus of the assembly 100 is verified, readings of the primarymeasurement type (pH, ORP, conductivity, Dissolved Oxygen and so on) andthe temperature are automatically taken at step 174. The measured dataand temperature which are analog, are then conditioned at the singleconditioning electronics. The conditioned measurement data andtemperature are then converted into their digital equivalents,respectively.

At steps 178, 182, and 186, both the digital measurement data and thetemperature are converted into calibrated engineering units such as pH,μ/cm, ° C., ° F., and the like. Specifically, the digital measurementand temperature are data converted to a set of uncompensated engineeringunits using a combination of look-up tables and pre-programmed formulas.More specifically, two unit counts are generated during theanalog-to-digital process for the measurement data and the temperature.The look-up tables and formulas then relate the counts to a set ofuncompensated engineering units.

At step 182, the measurement data and the temperature are stored in thetransducer body 108. Based on the transducer identification read, theprocessor 144 will also fetch for a set of temperature compensationparameters. The temperature compensation parameters generally include aslope and an offset. The uncompensated engineering units, are thereaftertemperature compensated using the slope and the offset at step 186.

At step 190, the transducer body 108 will report the compensatedengineering units to the reporting device 112. At this point, theprocessor 144 will also check for any special instructions from the hostcomputer. Specifically, the compensated engineering units can bereported in different ways. For example, the assembly 100 can beconfigured to report at several rates including periodically and onrequest, in seconds. When the assembly 100 is configured to reportperiodically, the reporting period can be set from every second to everyhour. When the reporting device 112 is battery powered as describedabove, the assembly 100 can be configured to report the data every 5minutes to save power.

The processor 144 will also confirm the status of the reporting device112, and the communications protocol being used. If the reporting device112 is disconnected, the transducer body 108 will detect the detachmentor removal in the same way that the transducer body 108 detects thetransducer head 104 being disconnected. If the reporting device 142 hasbeen disconnected, the assembly 100 will enter into a listening mode andwait for a command to start reporting. If the protocol changes, then thetransducer body 108 will detect the change and send the data in thecorrect format/protocol.

There are factory test commands that a host computer can use tocalibrate the electronics of the transducer body 108 so that thetransducer head 108 will respond the same way with every transducerassembly. All transducers will also be calibrated from the factory. Atstep 194, the assembly 100 will identify any special command from theconnecting reporting device. Once identified, the special commands willbe acted upon. Exemplary commands include factory calibration and testcommand, user calibration and configuration change, and request for datadownload. Specifically, a user generally has a list of commands that canbe used for field calibration of the measurement. These commands can besent from a computer, a PLC, or a remote display/keypad interface. Datacan also be requested in various formats and with different samplerates. User conversion tables, programmable filters and other optionscan also be applied.

Once all the hardware adjustments have been made based on transducerinformation, user requested action and recording equipment status, datais reported in step 198. In normal operation, the calibrated measurementdata will be sent in the format required by the reporting device 112. Iffactory or user commands have been initiated, the assembly 100 willrespond appropriately. The flow diagram then repeats. After the assembly100 has sent data or responded to an inquiry, it will again check thestatus of transducers, previous measurements, user/factory requests, andattached recording devices. The assembly 100 will then take appropriateaction.

Generally, the assembly 100 will report the measurement data at apre-determined periodic rate. However, the assembly 100 can also beprogrammed to report a transducer configuration or transducer statusinstead of measurement readings. For example, the assembly 100 can beconfigured to report a calibration slope, and calibration offset, or atransducer identification.

Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in thefollowing claims.

1. A sensor assembly comprising: a transducer chosen from among aplurality of transducer types, each type configured to sense a differentenvironmental characteristic; a memory element coupled to the transducerand configured to store a plurality of transducer signatures, eachtransducer signature comprising a transducer identifier and calibrationparameters; and a processor coupled to the memory and configured tostore an adaptive algorithm, to identify the type of the transducerusing the transducer identifier, to configure at least one analog signalconditioning component using the calibration parameters, to process theenvironmental characteristic using the configured analog signalconditioning component and the adaptive algorithm, and to output theprocessed environmental characteristic.
 2. The sensor assembly of claim1, and wherein the calibration parameters comprise a transducertemperature compensation parameter.
 3. The sensor assembly of claim 1,further comprising a reporting device coupled to the processor andconfigured to receive and report the processed environmentalcharacteristic from the processor.
 4. The sensor assembly of claim 3,and wherein the processor automatically identifies the reporting device,and automatically adjusts the processed environmental characteristicbased on the identified reporting device.
 5. The sensor assembly ofclaim 3, and wherein the reporting device comprises at least one of alocal display, a personal computer (“PC”), an industrial programmablelogic controller (“PLC”), a telemetry system, and a data logging system.6. The sensor assembly of claim 1, further comprising a transducerpreamplifier coupled to the transducer, and configured to amplify thesensed environmental characteristic.
 7. The sensor assembly of claim 1,and wherein the processor repeatedly and automatically detects toidentify the type of transducer.
 8. The sensor assembly of claim 1, andwherein the processor chooses an adaptive algorithm based on theidentified type of the transducer.
 9. The sensor assembly of claim 1,further comprising at least one signal converter coupled to thetransducer and configured to convert the sensed environmentalcharacteristic to a desired output format.
 10. The sensor assembly ofclaim 9, and wherein the at least one signal converter comprises asigma-delta analog-to-digital converter, and wherein the desired outputformat comprises digital data.
 11. The sensor assembly of claim 1, andwherein the processor calibrates the environmental characteristic withthe calibration parameters and the adaptive algorithm.
 12. The sensorassembly of claim 1, further comprising a transducer housing configuredto house the transducer and the memory element, and a body housingconfigured to house the processor and coupled to the transducer housing.13. The sensor assembly of claim 1, further comprising a housingconfigured to house the transducer, the memory element, and theprocessor.
 14. A sensor assembly comprising: a sensing head having atransducer chosen from among a plurality of transducer types, each typeconfigured to sense a different environmental characteristic, and amemory element coupled to the transducer and configured to store aplurality of transducer signatures, each transducer signature comprisinga transducer identifier and calibration parameters; and an adapting bodycoupled to the sensing head, to receive the transducer signatures andthe environmental characteristic from the sensing head, the adaptingbody having a processor configured to store an adaptive algorithm, toidentify the type of the transducer using the transducer identifier, toconfigure at least one analog signal conditioning component using thecalibration parameters, and to process the environmental characteristicusing the configured analog signal conditioning component and theadaptive algorithm and to generate an output representative of theenvironmental characteristic.
 15. The sensor assembly of claim 14, andwherein the calibration parameters comprise a transducer temperaturecompensation parameter.
 16. The sensor assembly of claim 14, furthercomprising a reporting device coupled to the processor and configured toreceive and report the output from the processor.
 17. The sensorassembly of claim 16, and wherein the processor automatically identifiesthe reporting device, and automatically adjusts the output based on theidentified reporting device.
 18. The sensor assembly of claim 16, andwherein the reporting device comprises at least one of a local display,a personal computer (“PC”), an industrial programmable logic controller(“PLC”), a telemetry system, and a data logging system.
 19. The sensorassembly of claim 14, further comprising a transducer preamplifiercoupled to the transducer, and configured to amplify the sensedenvironmental characteristic.
 20. The sensor assembly of claim 14, andwherein the processor repeatedly and automatically detects to identifythe type of transducer.
 21. The sensor assembly of claim 14, and whereinthe processor chooses an adaptive algorithm based on the identified typeof the transducer.
 22. The sensor assembly of claim 14, furthercomprising at least one signal converter coupled to the transducer andconfigured to convert the sensed environmental characteristic to adesired output format.
 23. The sensor assembly of claim 22, and whereinthe at least one signal converter comprises a sigma-deltaanalog-to-digital converter, and wherein the desired output formatcomprises digital data.
 24. The sensor assembly of claim 14, and whereinthe processor calibrates the environmental characteristic with thecalibration parameters and the adaptive algorithm.
 25. The sensorassembly of claim 14, and wherein the adapting body comprises at leastone of a local data display and a keypad, a personal computer (“PC”)communication cable, a programmable logic controller (“PLC”)communication cable, a telemetry device, a multi-sensor adapter device,and a data storage device.
 26. A method of measuring an environmentalcharacteristic with a transducer assembly, wherein a transducer head iscoupled to a transducer body, the transducer head has a memory storing aplurality of transducer signatures, each transducer signature comprisesa transducer identifier and calibration parameters, and the transducerbody has a processor, the method comprising: retrieving a transduceridentifier and calibration parameters from the memory; processing thetransducer identifier to identify the type of the transducer at theprocessor; configuring at least one analog signal conditioning componentusing the calibration parameters; sensing a signal indicative of theenvironmental characteristic using the transducer; conditioning thesignal indicative of the environmental characteristic using theprocessor with the configured analog signal conditioning component andan adaptive algorithm; and outputting the conditioned signal indicativeof the environmental characteristic.
 27. The method of claim 26, andwherein the calibration parameters comprise a transducer temperaturecompensation parameter.
 28. The method of claim 26, and whereinoutputting the conditioned signal indicative of the environmentalcharacteristic further comprises: coupling the transducer body to areporting device; and reporting the conditioned signal indicative of theenvironmental characteristic on the reporting device.
 29. The method ofclaim 28, further comprising: automatically identifying the reportingdevice; and automatically adjusting the conditioned signal indicative ofthe environmental characteristic based on the identified reportingdevice.
 30. The method of claim 28, and wherein the reporting devicecomprises at least one of a local display, a personal computer (“PC”),an industrial programmable logic controller (“PLC”), a telemetry system,and a data logging system.
 31. The method of claim 26, furthercomprising amplifying the signal indicative of the environmentalcharacteristic.
 32. The method of claim 26, wherein processing thetransducer identifier to identify the type of the transducer at theprocessor further comprises repeatedly and automatically detecting toidentify the type of the transducer.
 33. The method of claim 26, furthercomprising choosing an adaptive algorithm based on the type of thetransducer.
 34. The method of claim 26, wherein outputting theconditioned signal indicative of the environmental characteristicfurther comprises formatting the signal indicative of the environmentalcharacteristic.
 35. The method of claim 34, wherein the signalindicative of the environmental characteristic is in an analog format,the method further comprising converting the environmentalcharacteristic from the analog format into a digital format using asigma-delta conversion.
 36. The method of claim 26, wherein conditioningthe signal indicative of the environmental characteristic using theprocessor further comprises calibrating the environmentalcharacteristic.
 37. The method of claim 26, and wherein the transducerbody comprises at least one of a local data display and a keypad, apersonal computer (“PC”) communication cable, a programmable logiccontroller (“PLC”) communication cable, a telemetry device, amulti-sensor adapter device, and a data storage device.
 38. A sensoradapter operably configured to receive a transducer, the transducerconfigured to sense data indicative of an environmental characteristicand having a memory configured to store a transducer identifier andcalibration parameters, the sensor adapter comprising: a processorconfigured to receive, from the transducer, the data indicative of theenvironmental characteristic, the transducer identifier, and thecalibration parameters, to identify the type of the transducer using thetransducer identifier, to configure an analog signal conditioningcircuit based on the calibration parameters, and to adaptively processthe received data from the transducer using the configured analog signalconditioning circuit and an adaptive algorithm; and an output interfaceconfigured to receive the processed data from the processor and toreport the processed data.
 39. The sensor adapter of claim 38, andwherein the processor is configured to automatically identify areporting device coupled to the output interface.
 40. The sensor adapterof claim 38, and wherein the processor is configured to choose theadaptive algorithm based on the identified type of the transducer.